Sullivan c



(No Model.) v

S. C. SWETT.

GRIP FOR ELBVATOR SHIFTING ROPBS.

110.444,556. Patented Jan. 13,1891.

, /NVZWTOE M/ JM @JM UNITED.v STATES PATENT OEEICE.

SULLIVAN C. SWETT, OF `WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR, BYDIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF TWO-THIRDS TO JAMES W. BROWN ANDFREDERICK G. ALEXANDER, BOTH OF SAME PLACE.

GRIP FOR ELEVATOR SuHlFTlNG-ROPES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 444,556, dated January13, 1891.

Application filed August 2, 1890. Serial No. 360,810. (No model.)

' 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SULLIVAN C. SWETT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have in- 5 ventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Grips forElevators; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains Io to make and use the same.

My invention relates to various new and useful improvements inattachments for elevators, whereby the car may be readily started,stopped, and controlled.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide and produce acertain attachment for elevators, by which the operator within the carmay have entire control of the valve-rope, and may operate the same asmay be desired Withzo out the necessity of grasping the valve-rope withthe hands, as at present.

The principal novelties in my improved attachment for elevators consistof a traveler or guide securely fastened within the elevaz 5 tor-caradjacent to the valve-rope and a grip or handle movable upon saidtraveler and adapted to grasp the valve-rope when it is desired and thento be moved up or down on the traveler, as the case may require, carry-3o ing the valve-rope with it to stop or to start the car in eitherdirection.

Another novel feature of this invention is the use of a spring-clamp onthe grip or handle just referred to and which is adapted to en- 3 5 gagewith the traveler when the grip or handle is out of engagement with thevalve-rope, so that the grip will be locked and held in position on thetraveler, but which is adapted to be disengaged from the traveler assoon as 4o the grip o r handle is caused to grasp the valve-rope, sothat the grip or handle will be at liberty to be moved up or down, asabove explained, all as will be more fully hereinafter described, andembodied in the claims.

For abetter comprehension of my invention attention is invited to t-heaccompanyingdrawings, forming a partof this speciiication, and in which-Figure 1 is a sectional view, partly in elevation, of an elevator-car,showing my invention attached thereto; Fig. 2, a side sectional view ofmyinvention detached from the car; Fig. 3, a sectional View taken on thelinesoo of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a sectional View taken on the lines y y ofthe same iigure; and Fig. 5, 55 an elevation of one of the sections ofthe grip or handle.

In all of the above views corresponding parts are designated by the sameletters of reference.

A represents an ordinary elevator-car,which may be of any suitableconstruction or design, and which is adapted to be started, stopped, andcontrolled by a rope B, which connects with the valve in hydraulicelevators orwith the appropriate elements in other varieties ofelevators.

As a general rule, elevators are started upwardly by moving thevalve-rope in the other direction, and are stopped when so ascended bygrasping the valve-rope and allowing the car to continue its upwarddirection until the valve is closed and the movement of the car isarrested. Y In descending the reverse of these movements takes place, aswill be understood by those persons skilled in the art to which myinvention relates.

The following description of my invention will be understood to beapplied to elevators having the movements thus described; but it shouldbe understood, however, that the invention may be used in all elevatorswherein a rope is employed which passes down through the car, and bywhich the car is started, stopped, and controlled.

B represents'the guide or traveler before referred to, which consists ofa metallic bar @bent over at right angles at its end, as will beobserved. In order that the grip may be prevented from turning laterallyon this guide or traveler, it is preferable to make the same rectangularin cross-section. Each end of this traveler is pivotally connected toaheadpiece c by means of a pivoted pin (Z. Each head-piece c consists ofa at base portion d', having screw-holes arranged around its edges, anda hollow rectangular body portion f, within which the right-angled armsof the traveler are pivoted. By pivotally attaching the traveler orguide to the head-pieces c the proper angle of the same with relation tothe valverope may first be obtained, and then the traveier or guide. issecurely held in that position by means of wedges g g driven in the bodyportion of the head-piece on each side of the bent-in ends of thetraveler, as shown in Fig. i). Then this angle has been obtained, thetraveler or guide is secured to the sides of the elevator adjacent tothe valve-rope and parallel to the same.

The grip consists of two parts C D. Each part of the grip is providedwith a semicireular portion 7L, which is grasped by the hand of thcoperator, and with a clamp portion t', which engages with the travelerorguide, and which is attached to the head 7L by means ot shortconnectingarmsjj. Each of these connecting-arms is provided with one orlnore integral ears la, which are adapted to engage with each other, andby which the sections C D are pivoted together by means of rivets t' orother device. In order that the clamp portion may be kept in normalengagement with the traveler or guide,I secure to the connecting-arms jof one section a small spring Z, whose free ends will engage with theconnecting-arms of the other section, and will by this means effect thedesired result. In older that the grip may be pre` ented from becomingdisengaged laterally from the guide or traveler, each clamping-piece isbent over at its top and bottom to lorm retaining-lugs Z.

The semicircular body of each section of the grip is clasped with ahollow m on its inner face, which is provided with small ribs fn,arranged at regular-intervals. Embedded within the hollow of eachsection, between the ribs `11 n, is a strip o of some frictiona-lmaterial, such as leather, rubber, or axialegonssnbstance. This strip ismade slightly concaved on its face, and the ends at each scction arealso concaved to allow for the passage of the valve-rope.

It will be evident that my improved device will operate as follows: Thenit is desired to move the valve-rope up or down, the two sections c andd are grasped by the operator and brought together so as to firmly gripthe valve-rope, which may then be moved up or downby the device. Thenthe two sections c and d are brought together, the clamp will bedisengaged from the traveler and the device may be moved freely up ordown thereon, with the clamp acting in the nature of a guide. As soon asthe device is disengaged from the rope the clamp will immediately gripthe traveler and the device will retain its position thereon, so that itwill be seen that in starting the car upwardly the device will travelfrom the top to the bottom of the guide, and will be locked in itslowest position, ready to be moved up again to cause the car to descend.By packing the inside of each section c and d, as explained above, avery secure grip will be had on the valve-rope and there can be littleor no slip ping, and all wear on the device will be reduced toa minimum.It it should happen, however, that any wear should occur in the device,it will be taken up by the packing, which may be replaced when worn. Theribs `a n also improve the grip on the rope, and by making these ribs ofsome soft metalsnch as brass-they will not injure the valverope, whichis steel. The entire device may be made of cast metal and maybeartistically finished by nickeling or other process.

It should be understood that my improved grip can be used in otherconnections than in elevators.

Having now described my invention, what Iclaim as new therein, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

The combination of an elevator-car, a shifting-rope passing through thesame, a guide secured to the car, a grip composed of clamping-jawsadapted to engage the shiftingropc, and spring clam ping-jaws adapted toengage the guide when the clamping-jaws are out of engagement with theshitting-rope, all substantially as described.

SULLIVAN C. SWET'I.

In presence ot- LEONARD 1I. DYER, ARTHUR A. ERB.

